Hokersar faces extinction as drudging company fails to remove sludge
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 2: Hokersar, known as the queen of Himalayan wetlands, is facing extinction as the company that carried out work on construction of flood channel through the wetland has failed to remove slush from it leading to over 5 square kilometre landmass inside it.
The construction of the flood channel and drudging of six streams, was carried out by the Kolkata-based dredging firm, Reach Dredging Ltd two years ago. But the slush and earth, that was excavated for digging the channel and degrading and widening the streams, was dumped inside the wetland leading to creation of land mass spread to hundreds of acres.
The landmass created by the slush and earth removed during drudging and construction of flood channel is 500 meters on either-side of over 5 kilometre long channel that passes through the wetland. The non-removal of slush and earth from the wetland has led to 5 square kilo-meter landmass inside already shrunk wetland.
Two years ago, an official said that former Wildlife Warden for Central Kashmir, Abdul Rouf Zargar asked the company to remove the slush from the wetland as per the contract but he was transferred by the Government.
Since then the Wildlife Department has shown laxity and is not pursuing the case of removal of the slush and earth from wetland with the company. The non-removal of slush and earth from wetland that is of international importance given its inclusion in the list of Ramsar sites has led to its further shrinkage. Situated in the outskirts of Srinagar, it is a favourite halting ground for the migration of birds from Siberia and Central Asia during winters.
However, the Wildlife Warden for Central Kashmir who looks after Hokersar wetland, Ifshan Dewan, told Excelsior that she has been frequently writing to the company for removal of landmass from wetland. “I have written latest letter last month only. They have assured they will do it”, she said.
She added that company’s response has been that locals don’t allow removal of landmass. However, locals said that landmass on either-side of the flood channel is not the propriety land but that of the wetland and they can’t stop it.
“How can we object as the flood channel does not pass through propriety land? The six streams partly pass through propriety land but we have never objected for removal of earth from that land as well. We had proposed the department that we will remove the earth on our own but they didn’t allow”, said Mohammad Ashraf, a resident of Soibugh.
To maintain the water level of already shrunk wetland, entry gate at Hajibagh and exit gate at Sozeith was to be constructed but so far nothing has been done since 2018. The gates were to be constructed in the first year only but so far even tenders have not been floated leading to severe shortage of water inside the wetland.
In the tender notice of Irrigation and Flood Control, it was clearly specified that the excavated earth has to be removed from the wetland.
“As it is not permitted to keep or dispose off excavated soil inside wetland, thus same has to be taken outside the Hokersar Wetland immediately after excavation, which is to be kept in mind while execution of the work”, the tender notice read.
The National Board for Wildlife (NBW) had also given strict guidelines for respecting the ecological sensitivity of the wetland while approving the construction work.
The permission order of the board read: “The user agency, while implementing the drainage construction project, will abide by the orders to be issued by the Supreme Court and follow provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, 1978 (Amended upto 2002) strictly. The user agency will follow the eco-friendly engineering practices during the construction.”
It had in its order further said that the material so excavated shall be disposed off outside the wetland by mechanical means or otherwise to the extent of full quantity and no bund rising may be taken up along the alignment.
Despite passage of two years, the land mass lies there and it has been reduced to a cesspool. The wildlife and I&FC departments are playing ostrich as the wetland is fast perishing.
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